Still blooming and getting bigger

[littleoldme]

Decided we were getting to full. Hope this works.

On the breastfeeding accessories front, I plan to use the sling quite a lot, but I've been given two second-hand boppy pillows (crescent shaped) already. I'm really hoping to manage my work life so that I can have the baby with me semi-constantly for the first 6 months or so, and avoid pumping entirely. I have breast pumps firmly in the category of things I'll buy only if it turns out I need them.

I had an avent breast pump last time but it broke one day while I was at work- guess that can happen to anyone. I also couldn't use it in the beginning as it hurt a lot.

Anyway I had to buy a second avent one as I desperately needed it for work the next day.

I got a medela electric one on offer from Boots this time- there's 20% off atm so if you're going to have a look- boots is good and now is good.

I will be expressing as soon as I can this time so that dh can feed the baby a bit- last time I left it too long and he never fed her successfully.

One tip I've JUST heard is to wrap the bottle in a bra so baby smells mummy

pixie, if you get your DH feeding with a bottle nearly from the start, does that cause any issues with the baby taking to breastfeeding easily (and staying with it)? in my perfect world (ha ha!), DP will share night feeds with a bottle but ive heard rumour that that confuses the baby, or they then go off the breast or something?

Babies can get nipple confusion if you mix breast/bottle too early. The first 6 weeks your supply will be getting established anyway. I understand it's better to wait until after then to start with a bottle.

My comments are all prefixed with "apparently" BTW
I was just wondering if there'd be any confusion if they had a dummy (DS wouldn't take one - but then he wouldn't take a bottle either.... )

Breast and bottle confusion does happen but then again so does bottle refusal in favour of the breast. I won't be doing it form day 1 but will probably do it after a couple of weeks if I can. Dd ended up being so dependent on me for everything and dh felt so left out.

Thing is that you can use an expressing session as a regular thing and your supply won't be affected. What I was thinking was trying to express enough for a first feed and then dh can give that last thing at night while I express and then keep that milk till the last feed the following night iyswim.

Dh won't get up inthe night to feed- he is such a sound sleeper so it's not worth even trying that.

As for a dummy- if you can get away with not using one then do- they are disgusting things that are unhygienic and a pita

I sold my electric steam steriliser when dd was 6 months or so as I'd never used it. Have bought a cold water steriliser this time. i was thinking of just having a bowl with milton and cold water in it but like dh says the cold water steriliser has that thing in it to push the bottles to the bottom and it's also more compact

It seems as if most of us are thinking about/doing baby prep this sunday afternoon. We have had a very productive afternoon so far.

• Have put away all the girl clothes my sister gave me. Hung the 0-3 months ones up and folded up the 3-12 months ones very neatly for when baby gets bigger.
• Have hung up all DS's clothes that fit him now. Also folded up clothes that are too big for him neatly in the wardrobe.
• Have sorted out the clothes DS has grown out of in readiness to give to sister for my nephew who should just be growing into them.
• Have a bag of 0-3 months boy clothes left over from DS in a bag 'just in case' LO decides to surprise me.

Am I organised or WHAT?! I feel so smug

Need to make a list of what clothes I need to buy for LO (newborn vests and babygros mainly) now.

About dummies - they are awful things and I said I would never use one but I gave in very quickly after bringing DS home. It was just so convenient (ashamed ) that I wasn't strong enough to not resort to it. I pretty much stopped using it during the day once DS got old enough to start babbling (apparently it can affect the development of their speech because they won't try babbling if dummy is in their mouth).

But I must admit at 2 years he still has it when falling asleep and once asleep I take it away. He doesn't ask for it in the night. We are now going through the process of weaning him off it completely.

I have to say I will be using it for this baby as well if I need to, but try weaning her off it sooner than I did with DS.

As for sterlisers - the ones where you put the water and solution in are muc cheaper and do same job as the electric ones.

Bottles, dummies and nipple shields do confuse newborn babies apparently so best to avoid them until baby has established a good feeding technique.

My DH was a star when DS was born - he would do middle of the night feeds at 3am, bless him. DS was on formula very early because breast feeding didn't get off to good start due to DS being in special care for 4 weeks. I have noticed with other DHs/DPs as well that most of them do what is expected of them.

It really is up to us ladies to determine how involved fathers get. If you tell a man he is rubbish at waking in the night so you can't see him helping with night feeds, then that is exactly what will happen. On the other hand, if you give them some control and ask them if they would prefer to do the 1am feed or the 4am feed, for example, then you are being clear that you expect them to help but you aren't 'telling them what to do'.

I'm sorry if I sound like a know-it-all but so many of the women I know don't let the father help (he's got work in the morning, he's not interested, he doesn't do it properly or as efficiently etc etc). And those are exactly the same women who complain that they have to do everything themselves.

Ok, rant over.

One last thing - about expressing. Apparently your breasts are most full of milk first thing in the morning when you are rested (also contains more calories apparently!). So that would be a good time to express? When DS was in hospital I expressed every 3 hours and the amount I got first thing in the morning was loads compared to in the evening when I was tired.

I have no experience of trying to combine breastfeeding and expressing in a routine so that will be interesting!

choudru- I used to wake dh up when d was a baby to help with her and I used to get sworn at so I gave up. I'm not making excuses for him but he really doesn't do being woken in the middle of the night. Plus he is deaf so he wouldn't hear the baby so I'd have to wake up to wake him up and then stay awake to make sure he didn't fall back asleep before he'd sorted the baby out

Pixie - sounds like your DH is hardcore!

Must admit I wouldn't appreciate being sworn at and would be swearing a lot back!

I guess it gives you the opportunity to make him feel guilty during the day and get him to do double then

He tries his best choudru. He really is just crap during the night plus he leaves for work at 5.30 and is often not home till 7pm. I made this decision when I gave up teaching that I would be the primary carer and do night stuff and the house. He does pull his weight when he's here and is fabulous at the moment.

Dd has chronic excema so I am still well used to being up many times in the night with her.

The deafness means that when I wake him, if he doesn't immediately get up then he falls back to sleep and he can't hear the baby screaming. I've been through this with him with dd and tbh it's just less hassle for me to do it in the night. We have decided that he will give a last feed so that i can hopefully get to bed earlier and then have maybe a 4 hour stretch before the first waking

Loopy- think I'll learn form you and take a flask. Mind you i won't be doing what i did last time and taking a snickers bar to bed as well That's what I put all the weight on with

Pixie - you get off that fence about dummies!! PMSL

OMG DH has just got all the baby stuff out of the loft - there's bloody loads of it!!!! Thankfully I'd labelled the bags in age ranges (I wasn't having an OCD moment, honest, I was going to stick a load on e-bay) so it should make it a bit easier to sort, though where I'm going to put it all has me stumped as we've no drawer space.

Nice to see you back Jetgirl and v of your holiday . We're just visiting relis for a few days in Sept this year as DD's uni expenses have left us reeling a bit.

off to do sunday roast & try to avoid wine/cake/chocolate/spuds in readiness for GTT tomorrow I've been really thirsty for the past couple of days which is a really bad sign wish me luck!

lol Iris at the fence comment

Loopy - what a great idea about taking a flask to bed! It really does help make the nightfeeds bearable if you can have a cuppa.

Pixie - DH sounds like he contributes loads when he is able to. I hope you thank him lots! My rant before was more aimed at women who don't let their partners get involved with babycare at all, even during the day.

Some don't feel able to leave the baby at home with DH/DP for an evening while they enjoy a meal/cinema with friends etc. I would find that extremely suffocating but maybe that is just me.

Good luck with your appointment Iris - I really feel for you all going through the whole GTT palavar (sp?)

It's weird, I used to drink about ten cups of tea a day but have completely gone off it while i've been pg. All I want at the mo is hot Ribena (the light version though, so at least I'm not overdosing on the sugar).

Might go and make myself a cup now. Pg insomnia once again - 5.30am - sigh...have a friend arriving from the UK today though so excited about that.

Have gone right off tea and coffee- did last time as well BUT the first thing I had after labour last time was a coffee. Normally I ma a coffee addict as well so having gone off it is quite hard.